


by the riverside

by nonbinarywithaknife (littleboxes)



Series: me sobbing about critical role [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, But It's A Happy Beginning And Middle So That's What Counts, Crushes, Drowning, F/M, Fluff and Angst, It's Not A Happy Ending Folks, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 11:49:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17642240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleboxes/pseuds/nonbinarywithaknife
Summary: veth and yeza's relationship, in a series of moments by the water





	by the riverside

**Author's Note:**

> listen, okay, i have lots of feelings about veth and yeza, cause you know they were the cutest goddamn couple in felderwin, okay and i just-

When Veth is ten, she crouches by the river and tries to tie flowers into her hair. She’s seen some of the other girls braiding in flowers for each other, but she knows they’d only laugh if she asked to join in. She stays there for hours, squinting at her reflection in the river, to make sure the daisies she’s picked lay just so. Eventually, the sun starts to set, and she stands up, ready to head home. She only makes it a few feet, before she hears someone shout her name.

She knows that voice. She runs, and runs, the jeering ringing in her ears, until finally she makes it home. She’s late- it’s dark, now- but she’d had to twist and turn to shake off her pursuers. She walks into her house, and her mother yells at her for breaking curfew. Her braids are a frazzled mess, and all but a few of the daisies have fallen out. She cradles the bent petals as she walks to her room.

* * *

   

Veth is eighteen, reading by the river, when the boy comes up to her. She can see his friends in the distance, all of them with nasty sneers on their faces. The boy’s cheeks are red. “Um. Would it be alright if I kissed you?” She can see the hint of sideburns on his face. His eyes are kind. She shouldn’t- she knows things like this rarely end well for her. She says yes. He tastes like cinnamon and wonder. They break apart, and the boy smiles nervously. “My- my name’s Yeza.” She smiles back. “I’m Veth.”

“Would you like- um. I pick plants sometimes, over in the southern tillage, for my alchemy. Would you like to come with me? Sometime?”

Veth grins widely, despite her attempts to hide it. “I- Yeah. That, sounds nice. I’d love to pick plants with you.”

* * *

 

Veth is twenty, sitting by the river, waiting for Yeza. The sun is high in the sky, and it sparkles off the river’s surface in a mesmerizing dance. She braids blades of grass as she waits. He’d sounded so excited when he’d made the date to meet at her favorite place. Finally, the sound of footsteps makes her head turn. She spots him instantly, with his mop of hair and just-barely-hanging-on spectacles. His hands are held behind his back, and he looks even more nervous than usual.

He reaches her, and takes her hands. “Yeza, what-?” He’s blushing, but it’s nothing compared to her when he speaks his proposal. Every bit of it is so completely _Yeza_ that it takes her breath away. He gets down on one knee, and her world tilts a little bit. She can’t help but laugh, faintly, when he starts talking about picking plants together, forever. She decides to spare him from more talking, and leans down to kiss him.

After a second, she pulls away, the goofy grin on her face obvious even to her. “Of course I’ll marry you!” He picks her up and twirls her around, both of them breathless with love.

* * *

 

Veth is twenty-one, standing by the river, in her best golden sundress. Flowers are braided into her hair; daisies, pansies, tulips, a collection in themselves. Her hazel eyes are glowing with affection as she takes in Yeza, standing across from her. His hair and sideburns are a bushy mess. His vest is plaid, over a plain tan shirt. Both of them are shoeless.

The priest they’ve hired speaks about oaths, and love, and other formalities. They only have eyes for each other. The priest asks if they have any vows. They don’t. They are not confident in many things, but in their love for each other, they are absolute. When Veth kisses Yeza, he tastes like cinnamon, and wonder, and home.

* * *

 

Veth is twenty-five, and she is drowning. She can feel the claws on her neck, her arms, holding her down. She can feel the cold, cold water filling her lungs, her ears, but it’s not loud enough to drown out the shrieking cackles of the goblins. She tries to struggle, but her thrashing only makes them laugh harder. She can feel herself drifting. Her struggles slow. Her vision goes black.

It’s bad enough she didn’t get to say goodbye, to her husband, and son. That she won’t live to see Luke grow up. But what makes her heart bleed the most, is the desecration of her spot by the river. Whereas it was once a symbol of her heart, her home, her love, they have tainted it with their presence. As the last bits of Veth drift away, she can’t help but weep for the loss.

**Author's Note:**

> listen. so, yeza is a total dork and would totally ask the girl he's been crushing on for ages if she'd like to go collect alchemical ingredients with him as a first date, okay, and you *know* veth would find that adorable af. this almost certainly becomes a running joke when they get married, and it's adorable. 
> 
> also, i love making myself sad. so i thought, hey, what if that spot by the river was actually really important to nott/veth bc thats where she went to go be alone/spent a lot of time with yeza. and it hurts even more that she was drowned there, by goblins, because it was this really Happy and Good and Pure place thats been soiled by these Evil Beings. and. so. here.
> 
> also also, i've decided halflings love flowers, and weddings are very colorful events, + yeza has negative fashion sense and veth thinks it's endearing and doesn't say anything
> 
> edited 4/25/19 for clarity and neatness


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